


Hiding in Plain Sight

by MonPetitTresor



Series: Gabrieloki [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Norse Religion & Lore, Supernatural
Genre: Feasts, Friendship, Frigga is a Good Mom, Gabriel is bad a feelings, Hiding, Loki Is Bad At Feelings, Meeting the Parents, More tags to be added, Tricks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 07:29:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13759233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitTresor/pseuds/MonPetitTresor
Summary: Gabriel and Loki make it back to the palace - now it's time to see if Gabriel was right, and if anyone is going to be able to see through the wards keeping him hidden inside of Loki.





	Hiding in Plain Sight

Learning how to function inside of a vessel that he was openly sharing with the other inhabitant was somewhat of a learning experience for Gabriel. For both of them, really. Loki clearly had no idea what to do here, worse even than Gabriel. He’d never shared a vessel before _at all_. That meant it was up to Gabriel to try and figure things out and help them learn how to function with this. But, at the same time, it was up to Loki to help make sure that they not only worked but that they managed to convince everyone while they were at it.

So far no one seemed to notice anything different about them. Not that there was a magical one in the bunch; Gabriel had no worries there. He didn’t really worry about the Allfather, either. If Odin hadn’t managed to notice the little tracer Gabriel had put on Loki’s soul all those hundreds of years ago, Gabriel highly doubted he’d see anything now.

**You put a tracker on my soul?**

Oops. The downside of sharing this closely – it wasn’t as easy to shelter his thoughts. Gabriel was going to have to work if he wanted to keep anything private. Loki, too. **_Back when I first met you,_** Gabriel sent back. **_You were a wily little brat back then. I had to make sure I could find you somehow, didn’t I?_**

There was a sound in their shared mindscape that was clearly a disdainful sniff. Hearing it only amused Gabriel. Only Loki could give a _disdainful sniff_ and do it _in his mind_.

Feeling Gabriel’s amusement only had Loki sniffing again. **Are you always this rude?**

 ** _Pretty much._** Gabriel let his grace pulse a little in the non-corporeal version of a smile. **_You’ll get used to it. Not like you’re any better,_ Your Highness _. Besides, you like it. It’d be awkward if I were bowing and scraping here inside your own head. The last thing we need is for you to get an ego like the big brute over there and his motley bunch._**

It was satisfying to watch the way that Loki struggled to keep his masks in place and not show the burst of humor Gabriel’s words brought. They were on horseback at the moment, making their way with the others back to the palace. **Perish the thought.**

**_Exactly! You’re awesome enough just the way you are._ **

The stunned pleasure that Loki got out of those words was easy for Gabriel to feel. He didn’t comment on it, though. Just because they had to feel one another and hear each other’s thoughts didn’t mean that they had to draw attention to those things. Gabriel deliberately ignored that and instead just let himself relax while his grace slowly made its way through every inch of Loki’s body, settling in and connecting Gabriel with him more and more.

By the time he brought his focus back to the surface, they’d reached the main city and were making their way to what Loki’s memories told him were the Royal Stables. Gabriel kept to the background and just let Loki be in charge for now while the group made their way inside. No one disturbed them, not even the stable hands bothered Loki as the prince dismounted his horse. All attention was on Thor, who was already boasting about the hunt and his kill.

Loki didn’t seem to be paying much attention, either. Not until Thor loudly called out “Mother!”

That had Loki looking up. A beautiful woman was making her way through the stables towards them. She was older, yet carried an obvious and regal sort of beauty. Even without Thor’s cry of ‘mother’, it would’ve been easy for Gabriel to figure out who this was. Frigga – the Allmother.

“You seem to have had a successful hunt.” Frigga smiled up at her son. She lifted one hand to pat at Thor’s arm as she reached him, making him beam at her, and then she turned her focus to Loki. “And you seem to have fared well this trip.” Amusement sparkled in her eyes. “No one looks to be any worse the wear.”

Loki was a mixture of amused and embarrassed in a way that had Gabriel curious. Even as Loki was answering Frigga – “Yes. Thankfully, it would appear our luck fared much better this time.” – he was telling Gabriel, **The last time we went on a hunting trip, Fandral was trying to find a way to warm my bed, and I took increasingly drastic measures to ensure that never happened.**

The way that Frigga was smiling at her youngest made it clear that she, at least, knew the truth of what had happened the last time. Or some of it. Her eyes were bright with good humor, and there was a faint twitch of her lips. She moved up to Loki’s side and slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. Instinctively, Loki adjusted to accommodate her, curving his arm just right to keep her hold. It was a move that spoke of plenty of training, which Gabriel found fascinating. Angels had a language all on their own via wings and such, but it seemed that humans – or Asgardians, in this case – used various parts of their bodies in much the same way.

“I’m so glad this trip went better for you,” Frigga said, falling easily into step with Loki as the two made their way out of the stables. Thor and the others were still talking and laughing around their horses; none of them seemed to even notice that Loki and Frigga had gone.

Gabriel watched through Loki’s eyes as they made their way up to the palace. Frigga was talking at their side about things that had happened while Loki was gone; visitors from Alfheim, which almost culminated in a fight between someone named Amora and one of the elves. Loki responded easily and warmly to her words. While they carried their conversation, it left Gabriel free to observe the palace as they made their way inside.

This really was a grand place. Far more magnificent than anything humans had come up with yet on earth. The whole palace shone with the amount of gold that had been used. Now, gold was one of Gabriel’s colors, and he was quite fond of it, but there was a lot of it around them. A _lot_.

People passed them by in the halls. Gabriel noted how they smiled for Frigga, bowing or curtseying as needed, and how they offered the same gestures to Loki without any of the open affection or even respect that Frigga received. The way that Loki didn’t even acknowledge it spoke of complacency. He’d grown used to that kind of treatment. Gabriel logged that little fact away to think about later.

Eventually, they made their way to a part of the palace that Gabriel assumed held their rooms. Loki paused outside his door, clearly expecting to bid his mother farewell, only to have her lean in a little more and smile up at him. “Why don’t we order some tea while we finishing catching one another up?” she offered.

Loki smiled fondly even as Gabriel could feel the way the other’s mind raced. Something was off here. Something was wrong. **_Loki?_**

“I’m rather tired, Mother. Perhaps later?” **There is something wrong.**

**_What makes you so sure?_ **

**We never speak in my rooms. Always, she takes me to her private chambers, or to the gardens. She’s never once asked to be in my rooms since I reached my maturity.**

Oh. Well, that was – _curious_. Gabriel watched closely as Frigga waved her free hand dismissively in the air between them. “Nonsense. Surely you have time for one drink with your mother, Loki?”

There was a hint of tightness around the edges of Frigga’s eyes that only seemed to grow the longer that Loki hesitated. Loki was right; something was going on here. **_Let her in_** , Gabriel suggested quietly. He drew himself in a little more and double-checked to make sure his wards were holding around him. They were all good there. Nothing should be leaking through. **_Whatever’s going on, it’s clear she doesn’t wish to speak with you about it out in the open. I can feel how warded your rooms are – it’s better than anywhere else around here. Maybe she simply wants privacy._**

**That is not as reassuring as you think it is.**

Still, Loki pasted on a smile and gave a small bow. His nerves didn’t show through at all as he opened his door and led his mother inside.

They didn’t have to wait long to find out what was going on.

No sooner had the door shut behind her than Frigga dropped any semblance of a smile. She took a step towards Loki, and her eyes were bright with seidr as she stared at him. “Loki, what happened to you?”

“Mother?” Loki furrowed his brow in a look of absolute confusion.

She wasn’t buying it, though. Frigga straightened up, the power never once leaving her eyes. Her tone was a little sharper on her next words in a way that made it clear she wasn’t going to play around. “Do you think I don’t know how to recognize my own son? While others might not see, I was the one to teach you your magic, Loki Odinson. I can tell when you have something there that does not belong to you. Now, what happened to you?”

While Gabriel sat there, stunned, Loki seemed only to feel resigned, with a touch of amusement. **I have never been able to hide things from her.**

 ** _Is this going to create a problem?_** Gabriel asked.

His mind was already racing, trying to come up with new solutions, alternatives to their current plan. But he was cut off by a wave of reassurance from Loki. Seidr swelled up inside of them, and Gabriel swore he felt it stroke against his grace like a soothing hand brushing down one of his wings. **Peace,** Loki sent him. **She means us no harm. We have nothing to fear from her. I trust her to keep this secret, even from Father.**

**_Are you sure?_ **

**Yes.** No hesitation, no equivocation. Just a simple yes. **Choosing to have this conversation in my chambers is proof of that. In here, no one can hear us. Not Heimdall, not even the Allfather. Choosing to come here is her silent promise to keep our words private. Besides,** here, Loki’s humor spiked again. **She already knows something is wrong. If we do not tell her, she shall simply watch and form her own suspicions. I find it’s safer and saves me quite a lot of trouble if I just admit to some things before her mind can come up with worse alternatives.**

This wasn’t a situation that Gabriel knew quite how to deal with. He’d had a Father, yes, but that Father had been all-seeing, all-knowing, even more so than Odin Borson was. He’d had His blind spots, yeah. _Amara_ , for one. _Lucifer_ , for another. But He’d always just… known.

But… Gabriel hadn’t had a mother. He’d seen them on earth, watched the families that were born there and the love that mothers all over seemed to carry for their children. He understood that relationship in theory. In practice like this? He had no idea what he was doing.

If this thing between he and Loki was going to work, there was going to have to be trust. Trust that, sometimes, Loki would know better than Gabriel what to do. _A lesson in humility,_ Gabriel thought to himself, keeping that thought as private as he could. _Wouldn’t Dad be proud?_ With a heavy mental sigh, he pressed his grace against Loki’s seidr and silently let him know to go ahead.

Even with Loki’s reassurances, in Gabriel’s opinion, it was still startlingly easy for him to explain to his mother what was going on. “Do you remember me mentioning Gabriel to you?”

Some of the tension almost instantly drained away from Frigga. As if hearing Gabriel’s name was something of a reassurance to her, strange as that was. “Of course. Did he come to see you?”

“He did.” Loki folded his hands behind his back and straightened himself up a little more. With only a brief check to Gabriel to make sure that he was okay with what was being said, Loki quickly and succinctly walked Frigga through Gabriel’s arrival, his problem, and their current solution. He shared none of Gabriel’s personal feelings, nor old facts that he knew about what life was like for the angels. The only excuse he gave for Gabriel leaving Heaven was that “…it became an environment he no longer wished to be a part of.”

Gabriel was stunned by just how well Loki was talking about this while still skirting around the issue. Or, well, by the fact that he was skirting around it at all. Gabriel had given permission for Loki to talk about this; he hadn’t expected the kid to actively seek to… to _protect_ him like that. **_Lokes…_**

**Your secrets are your own. I need not betray them just to inform my mother of what is happening. She needs only the facts, not your personal details. That is your information to share, should you ever choose to do so. Not mine.**

Gabriel closed his eyes, not realizing that the swell of grace gave him control enough to close their vessel’s eyes. **_You’re a far better friend than I deserve, kiddo._**

When they opened their eyes once more, it was to find Frigga watching them curiously, any signs of animosity or worry gone from her face. She had her hands clasped together in front of her, and her eyes were watching their face with the kind of look that made Gabriel feel as if she could see down into them where grace and seidr were twined together. “He is aware in there,” she said. It wasn’t a question, either, though Loki nodded. Frigga made a low, humming sound. “Am I correct in assuming that you can hear me as well, Gabriel?”

It was easy for the two to pass control between one another. Loki took a step back, and Gabriel slid forward.

They didn’t know one another well enough yet for Gabriel to perfectly mimic Loki’s posture. Because of that, there were subtle changes he knew that showed through. He wasn’t as stiff as Loki; there wasn’t years’ worth of training ingrained in him. Instead, his posture was a lot more relaxed, and his lips were already curving into a small smile. “Yes, ma’am.”

Frigga made a small sign with her left hand and whispered words that sounded like a prayer. Gabriel just stood there and waited until she was done and her eyes were once more on him again. “Will holding you cause him harm in any way?”

“No ma’am,” Gabriel hurried to reassure her. “Not if I can do anything to help it. We actually mesh together surprisingly well. Better than I have with any of my True Vessels.”

“You’ll look out for him?”

There wasn’t a hint of joking in his tone now. Gabriel straightened up a little and made sure to meet Frigga’s eye. Though he didn’t have a mother of his own, that didn’t mean that Gabriel didn’t understand the significance of what this mother was asking, or just how honest his answer needed to be. Gabriel’s wings would’ve drawn up with him if he didn’t have them tucked away. However, his grace showed in their eyes, and his voice carried a deeper resonance to it, just a hint of his True Voice bleeding through. “With every ounce of my grace, Your Majesty. I’ll do everything I can to make sure your son comes to no harm while I’m here.”

 **I would like to remind you both that I am no longer a child in need of protection** , Loki chimed in dryly.

Gabriel sent him a pulse of grace that was full of laughter. **_And I’d like to remind you that you’re_ all _children compared to me, kiddo. Even your sweet Mom over here. I’ve been around since before you guys ever came into existence._**

He felt Loki’s mental eye roll. **Yes, you are quite impressively old. Bravo. That does not, however, qualify me as a child still attached to their mother’s skirts, thank you very much.**

**_Sassy little brat._ **

When Gabriel focused on Frigga once more, he found her smiling at him. The smile was soft and gentle in ways that Gabriel wasn’t quite used to having sent his way. He made as if to retreat, allowing Loki to take over, only to find that Loki was none-too-gently shoving him forward once more. There was no time for Gabriel to question it before Frigga reached out and caught his hands in hers. Gabriel startled at realizing that she’d gotten that close to him.

“I shall fear less, knowing that it’s you who is watching out for my baby,” Frigga said. Her smile was like sunlight, and the squeeze of her hands somehow conveyed both gentleness and strength that he’d felt in her son plenty of times. “I know that he’s safe in your care. Thank you, Gabriel.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

That seemed to be all that Frigga needed from them. She didn’t question them anymore, much to Loki’s surprise, and then she surprised _Gabriel_ when she used her hold on his hands to stretch herself up and press a kiss to his cheek. “The two of you should come and dine with me tomorrow.”

Gabriel was shocked enough by the kiss and the kindness there that it allowed Loki to slip forward and take control. He smiled at his mother and bent to kiss her cheek in turn. “Of course, mother.”

The two stayed standing in the middle of the room as Frigga let her out. Once she was gone, there was no one left to hide from, and Loki relaxed before turning his focus inward. **I do believe my mother quite likes you, Gabriel.**

 **Of course she does,** Gabriel scoffed. **Who wouldn’t? I’m awesome.**

They both heard the slight quaver that hid underneath those words. They both felt the emotion that ran through Gabriel’s grace. Yet, just as Gabriel had ignored Loki’s earlier private feelings, Loki granted him the same courtesy now by not calling him out on his own. Instead, he just let his seidr press against Gabriel, let that contact help soothe him. Then, when he felt Gabriel steady once more, he drew their focus away. **I’m sure we’ve got a little time before the feast begins tonight. We should go to the library and see what books we might find to help us with this.**

**_Sounds like a plan to me!_ **

Together, with Loki once more leading the way, they set out from Loki’s chambers, trading ideas back and forth the entire way.

**Author's Note:**

> These chapters won't be long, ,and there'll just be a few of them, that's all. Hope you like it! Keep in mind - this is looooooooooooong before MCU and SPN would even START, so we've got some time to kill :)


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